Well.....I changed mine and followed Mark's directions now I can't read the stupid dipstick. One side stays dry and the other side shows fluid on half of it. When I say half I mean vertically, half of the dip stick shows fluid.

i.e. if the dipstick is 1/8" wide on side of it stays dry and the other half, 1/16 gets wet and the other 1/16 stays dry. If I push the dipstick in 2" from all the way, nothing shows up on the dipstick, if I leave it 1" from in then it shows up to the full mark, if I push in all the way it shows over fulls. But all that just shows up on half of one side of the dipstick.

I thought I was reading fluid on the dipstick that it picked from sliding down the tube since you fill it in the same tube you check it, but it varied when I didn't push the dipstick in. Then I thought it was low since the other side never showed anything.

What gives?

 

Had same difficulties reading it. Rotate deep stick a bit and should be OK.
Engine hot & running?

 

Hot and running in park. I flipped it over and also tried wiggling and turning it.

 

Drill a tiny hole in the stick at full and just below. If the hole dips below the fluid it will fill up and hold the fluid, if it doesn't reach fluid well you know.

 

It reaches the full mark, but only on one side. So if I drill a hole it will fill in since one side shows over full.

Just left the local dealer, as usual they are no help, they looked at it and said it was low and added a quart, then they said it was full. The dipstick looked the same before and after they added a quart.

I checked this morning when cold and the level was 1/2" below minimum on both sides of the dipstick. It looked just like a normal dipstick, same on both sides. I ran the truck and checked and same issues when it is hot.

This really is a simple issue driving me nuts.

 

Where on the dipstick does the fluid go completely across, and not just halfway?

I'm betting you're still low on fluid.

Stewart

 

Changed my fluid a couple of months ago, and I have the same issue. Looks overfilled on one side, dry on the other. Flip it over, still same thing. I think I'm gonna try the hole thing next. If that works for you, post it here.

But I measured exactly what came out, and put back in the same amount, so I figure I'm pretty close.

 

I didn't measure what I took out.

This morning before starting, when it was cold, I measured it and it was 3/4" from the minimum mark. It registered on both side of the dipstick at the same place. So from what we know transmission fluid expands when hot which is why you check it when it is hot. So in theory I should have more than I saw this morning when I run the engine.

I stopped by ford and they were no help. They told me to push the dipstick in, then pull it out half way and push it in again, then pull it out and that would be the correct reading. Well how is that correct? It just makes the over full mark on both sides.

When I checked it after being heated up there was nothing on one side of the dipstick and over full on the other. So I added half a quart. Same results. Then I let it cool down at work and just checked it. When it is cold now it is only 1/2" from the minimum mark, where as this morning it was 3/4" so that is the extra half quart I added but it still shows the same when hot - dry one side over full the other.

 

I don't think so.

When the engine is running and the trans is warm and the trans pump is circulating the fluid, so it's gonna show lower on the stick compared to when it's cold and the engine is off, like when you checked this morning.

I still think your fluid is too low.

Keep adding until you get a mark straight across your dipstick. If you overfill a little, it's easy enough to pull the pan bolt and drop some fluid. Sure it'll be messy, but it's better than running your trans while it's low on fluid.

Stewart

 

I found with a car wash bucket you can loosen the bolt and then take it out and hold it just over the hole at an angle and it pours in the bucket no mess.

As for the cold vs hot why did all the other transmissions I've had have a cold fill range and a hot fill range with the cold fill range being lower on the dipstick?

 

After running the truck and getting all the lines, converter, valve body, and whatnot filled up couldn't a guy theoretically drain the pan into a clean bucket, measure it out, then put it back in and add whatever it takes to make the 7 quarts everyone claims the pan holds?

I know when I drained my pan it was 7 quarts damn near on the head and I have heard the same from pretty much everyone else.

 

Good idea. I thought about it but didn't know how much it held and hadn't researched it yet. Sounds like you have and are sure 7 quarts is the mark. I have driven it 20 miles and let it idle for a long time so everything is all circulated.

I have a new bucket....

Is that draining when cold and adding 7 quarts or warming it up and then draining and adding 7 quarts?

 

Mine was warmish when I drained it. I took it to the store and back to get the fluid which isn't far away. Mine drained exactly 6 3/4 quarts before I started doing the flush. I have read about others draining warmed up and getting the 7 quarts. Wait till some others that have done the flush chime in on what temp they drained at and exact quart amounts.

 

I'm all about doing my own work, and almost did this myself. But I was at the local shop the other day (parker performance diesel, parker, co) getting my emissions (stupid annual requirement) and they have a drivetrain service I couldn't pass up. Tranny flush, transfer case fluid change, front and rear differential chg, plus all additives. Came to $270 total. Not bad in my opinion. I will do my own chg including filter in 30k miles.
BTW, I don't believe flushing can damage a tranny. How could putting in new fluid be bad? If my tranny blows up, I'll be sure to let ya'll know.

 

I have not returned the fluid yet and will still likely do I was just taken back a bit by the trans shop. Thanks for all the input here.